The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.
In a conventional printing apparatus such as a printer and a copier, a sheet discharge unit is provided for discharging a sheet medium such as a printed sheet to outside the printing apparatus. The discharge unit is typically provided with a drive roller and a follower roller pressed against the drive roller. In the discharge unit, when a thin medium or a sheet with low stiffness is printed, it may be difficult to properly discharge such a medium, thereby causing discharge problem.
In order to solve the problem, Patent Reference has proposed a printing apparatus having a sheet discharge unit in which a plurality of bendable wings is disposed at both sides of follower rollers. In the sheet discharge unit, a plurality of follower rollers is separately urged and pressed against a drive roller from below. When the drive roller rotates, a sheet is sandwiched between the drive roller and the follower rollers to be transported. A plurality of elastic members rotating together with the follower rollers is disposed at both sides of the follower rollers. The elastic members have the bendable wings at circumferences thereof. When the bendable wings abut against circumferences of the follower rollers or the sheet, the bendable wings are capable of bending downward. The bendable wings are elastic members and capable of returning to original standing posture thereof. Patent Reference: Japanese Patent Publication No. 06-32511
As described above, in the sheet discharge unit of the conventional printing apparatus, the bendable wings are disposed at both sides of the follower rollers. Accordingly, the wings may cause damage on a medium. Also, the configuration tends to be complicated and increase cost. Further, the wings tend to wear, thereby reducing durability of the discharge unit.
When the follower rollers are not provided with the bendable wings, a medium is discharged only through a force with which the follower rollers are pressed against the drive roller. In this case, the medium is discharged with a relatively small force, thereby making it difficult to smoothly discharge the medium. Especially, in a case of a last medium printed as a last page of a print job, the last medium is not pushed with a subsequent sheet. Accordingly, it is difficult to smoothly discharge the last medium, and the last medium tends to remain on the follower roller or the drive roller.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing apparatus, in which it is possible to solve the problems in the conventional printer and improve image quality. In the printing apparatus, when it is detected that a last sheet of a print job passes through a fixing unit, it is possible to increase a transport speed of a discharge roller for discharging the medium, thereby increasing inertia of the last sheet. Accordingly, it is possible to securely discharge the last sheet without a complicated configuration and damage on the medium.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.